Tension device for double twist spindles



Filed Feb. 3, 1950 Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE TENSION DEVICE FOR DOUBLE TWIST SPINDLES Applicatioul ebruary 3, 1950, Serial No. 142,132

This invention relates to improvements in twisting spindles, especially those of the type intended for imparting two twists to the yarn or thread undergoing twisting for each revolution of the spindle.

More specifically, the invention relates to improvements in the tensioning devices associated with such double twist spindles.

In spindles of this type, yarn, withdrawn overend from a supply package, relatively stationary with respect to a rotating hollow spindle, passes through a tensioning device, down through the hollow spindle or thread passage, emerges from a port in the spindle rotor, and then passes outwardly and upwardly around the spindle in the form of a so-called free balloon, and thence to a suitable take-up device.

In applying tension to the yarn in its path of travel it is customary in double twist spindles to dispose the tensioning means at or adjacent to the place where the yarn enters the hollow spindle. In the prior art, various means such as weights have been used for applying tension, exerted as a braking action, on the yarn or thread at the place mentioned. The weights heretofore employed as tension devices on double twist spindles have sometimes been constituted as free spherical masses, e. g. balls, as disclosed for example in German Patent No. 570,346 of 1933 to Spiegelhauer and U. S. Patent N0. 2,492,778 of 1949 to Agresti et al. Concentrated masses such as balls are especially suitable for braking or tension exerting purposes in the twisting of heavy denier yarn or cord.

Inasmuch as the tensioning device in a double twist spindle is located at or near the place where the yarn enters the spindle, it is usually constituted of a structure incorporated in the upper portion of the spindle assembly. In the case of a tensioning device embodying a spherical mass or ball, the seat for the ball comprises a cupshaped recess frequently conforming in shape to that of the ball, the bottom of said recess communicating with the hollow interior of the spindle constituting the thread passage.

' In the operation of such spindles, however, certain dimculties have been encountered in the functioning of the tensioning devices. Such a spindle is threaded up by passing a threading-up wire, e. g. of coi1-spring type, through a rotor port, upwardly through the thread passage and past the tensioning ball at the top of the spin-' dle. The yarn drawn from the supply package is then pulled by the wire down through the thread passage and through the rotor port; Dur- 4 Claims. (01. 242-151) ing the threading-up operation the ball must be removed manually in order to permit passage of the threading-up wire and then replaced in operating position. This usually requires the use of one hand for removing the ball and the other hand for inserting the threading-up wire. While threading up in this manner, the ball may be inadvertently dropped and become lost. Moreover, the balls may be thrown off by the action of the thread during the operation of the spindle with the result that the desired tensioning or braking action is no longer applied to the yarn or thread.

In accordance with the invention therefore, an arrangement is incorporated with the double twist spindle structure, embodying the ball as an element thereof, which permits displacement of the ball by the wire during the threading-up operation and holds the ball so that it will return to its seat when the threading-up wire is removed. This arrangement prevents the ball from being thrown off its seat on the spindle while the latter is in operation and does not interfere with the passage of the thread into the spindle but still permits effective automatic and momentary release of tension during the operation of the spindle when jerks or plucks occur as the thread leaves the supply package.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a double twist spindle structure incorporating a ball retaining means which, while serving to prevent ejection of the ball from its operative position will not prevent the thread from approaching and entering the top of the spindle throughout an arc of 360.

For this purpose the invention contemplates the provision of a ball retaining means constie tuted as a cage-like device or similar structure having a circular aperture at the top of less di-- ameter than that of the ball and arranged so as to permit displacement of the ball to the extent required during the threading-up of the spindle and to permit the ball to move with the degree of freedom required in performing its tensioning function.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating a double twist spindle with one embodiment of the ball retainer of the invention incorporated therewith.

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scaleof the top portion of the spindle shown in Fig. 3., illustrating a modified form of the ball retainer of 1.

Fig. 3 is a section through another embodiment of the ball retainer.

Fig. 4 illustrates a still further embodiment of the ball retainer.

Fig. is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, ofthe ball retainer shown in section in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring in detail to the figures, the numeral I (Fig. 1) represents yarn or thread withdrawn from a package 2 carried by a spool and passing in the direction of arrow 3 to the tensioning de vice 4, constituted as a ball, and then downwardly through aligned thread-passages and sores in the spindle. By way of example one part of the thread passage is indicated by 5 and a bore by 6 in Fig. 1. The yarn or thread issues from one of a number of ports "i in the spindle rotor 8 as indicated at 9. It then passes upwardly around the bowl Hi in the direction of arrows ll, 12 forming the free balloon represented by the line bearing. these arrows and thence to a collecting device (not shown). Spindles of this type, as is well known, may be mounted in tilting fashion and driven in the usual manner by a' belt !3, drive pulley is. and idler I 5. ['6 isa type of manually operated brake used for stopping such spindles. Such spindles may also be mounted vertically and driven by individual electric motors. The upper portion of the spindle structure includes a frusto-conieally shaped portion ll adapted to aid in supporting the yarn package 2. and also serving as a struc ture for supporting the ball retainer hereinafter described and other component parts of the spindle such, for example, as the twist barrier ttiaand" broken thread entangling trap is which do not constitute part of the present invention.

Anembodiment of the invention is exemplified in' two modifications shown in Figs. 1 and The ball 4 that exerts the tension on the yarn on threadv in Figs. 1. and 2- is carried in a recess in:' member 26. When in operating position, the

ball 4 rests on the member 26 which may be constituted, if desired, as one of the component parts of the spindle adapted to be assembled therewith as by screw threads 2|. An opening 22' in the bottom of the recess communicates with the thread passage 5, Sand bore 6 extending axially of the spindle. The member til is carried. by the top portion ll of the spindle structure. The portion ii is attached as by screw threads 23 and taper fit 24 with the lower portion of the spindle assembly.

The retaining means of the invention, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, intended for preventing ejection of the ball from itsoperative position on the spindle, is constituted as a cage-like structure such as is shown in: Fig. 5. This cage-like retainer may be constituted for example as a metal member having a circular aperture 25 at the top. of a diameter at least slightly less than that of the tension-exerting ball, and so as to provide unobstructed rotational approach for the incoming thread throughout an arc of 360. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 the walls of the retainer are tapered as indicated at 25 so as to guide the wire to the aperture 25 during the threading-up operation. The retainer shown in Fig. 5 represents the modifications used in Fig. l and Fig. 2. In the modification of Fig. l the cage is constructed so that when it is placed in position on the top portion H of the spindle the walls 21 will grip the member frictionally i so as to resist displacement. When the cage shown in Fig. 5 is to be used to constitute the modification shown in Fig. 2, the lower edges 28 of the walls 2'5 may be bent over so that after the cage is put in position on the spindle and the walls 21 are forced inwardly slightly, the bentover edges will engage with the lower edge of the member 20, as at 35, to limit the upward movement of the cage and to prevent its removal.

Other methods of holding the cage in fixed position or of providing for its limited displacement may obviously be used. In Fig. l, the cage is fixed in position but is constructed so that when a threadingup wire is inserted into one of the ports I of the rotor 8 and pushed upwardly through the thread passage, the ball 4 can be pushed. upwardly and to one side so that the threading-up wire can pass through the aperture 25. When the threading-up wire with the yarn or thread attached to it is withdrawn, the ball flifallsa back. into operating position in its recess in member 2E1. In the case of the modification shown in Fig. 2, the'aperture 25 may be located closerto' the ball t-than in Fig. 1-. In this modiiication, when the ball 4 is pushed upwardly and to one side by' the threading-up wire, as when threading up the modification shown in Fig. l, the ball forces the cage-upwardly to a sufficient extent so that the threading-up wire can pass out through the aperture 25. When the-threadin'g-up wire is withdrawn, the ball and cage drop back into operating position. The dotted line 29 in Fig. 2 shows the position assumed by' the ball during the threading-up operation, the threading-up wire being omitted to avoidencumbering the drawing, inasmuch as the use of such a wire for threading-up double twist spindles is well known in the art, being. described for example in U. S. Patent No. 2,492,581 of 1949 to C. B. Kingsbury.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the member 20 is constructed so that its upper portion forms the wall of the retainer. Theannular caplike member 3! at the top of member 20 is provid'ed with an aperture 3| of slightly less diameter than the ball 4. The member 30 is constructed so that when placed in position on the member 25, it will be held in fixed position by frictional engagement, by screw threads, or by other suitable means. As in Fig. 1, this retainer is constructed so that when the wire is inserted for threading up, the ball 4 can be pushed upwardly and to one side sufliciently to permit the threading-up Wire to pass out through the aperture 3|. At such time the ball 4 occupie the position shown by the dotted line 29 (Fig. 3) as in Fig. 2. When the threading-up wire is withdrawn, the ball drops back into operating position.

In the embodiment shown in Fig.4 the seat for the ball. and the retainer constitute a unit. This unit. is formed by extending the member 20 upwardly sufficiently so that after the ball is placed in the recess and the wall 32 bent or swaged over to provide an aperture 33 of slightly less diameter than that of the ball 4. there will be sufllcient space in which the ball 4 can be displaced when threading up with the wire as described above. The dotted line 29 (Fig. 4) indicates the position of the ball 4 when displaced by the threading-up wire. After the wire is removed, the ball drops back into operating position.

The member 20 in Figs. 3 and 4 is constructed so that. it can be incorporated in the spindle structure by means of the screw threads 2| as in Figs. 1 and 2.

The retainer constituting this invention may be applied to any conventional double twist spindle which is provided with a ball-like tensioning device. In the drawing a complete operative assembly is shown wherein the ball 4 is of magnetically responsive material and is caused to exert a braking action on the yarn by mean of the magnet shims 35 of non-magnetic material being used for adjusting the action of the magnet. However, the magnet 34 may be omitted and the ball t caused to exert its braking action solely by its own weight. Other constructional V details of a typical double twist spindle are shown in the drawing and need not be discussed in detail.

Since the thread, during the operation of the spindle, approaches and enters the aperture in the ball retainer throughout an arc of 360, each embodiment of the retainer is constructed so that there is no obstruction to such passage of the thread.

The retainer should be constructed so that the ball will have space in which to move freely while performing its tensioning function. 0bviously the fixed position modifications shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 permit this. However, the modification shown in Fig. 2 should be constructed so that when the retainer is in the lowest possible position there will still be room for the ball to be moved about by the thread without contacting the retainer.

The tensioning member has been shown and described as a sphere or ball which may be solid or hollow depending on whether a considerable or only a slight tensioning effect is required. It is obvious that the tensioning member may also be of a shape other than spherical as long as the portion of the tensioning member which comes in contact with the thread is arcuately shaped.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent that changes and equivalents may be incorporated without departing from the scope thereof. Such changes will be readily recognized by those skilled in the art and it is desired to cover all modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. in a doubie twist spindle of the type wherein yarn or d supplied from a package carried by said s ndle is drawn over-end therefrom, approaches a thread passage extending down through the spindle from the top thereof, passes downwardly through said thread passage, emerges from. a port in a rotor at the bottom and up and around outside the spindle in the form of a balloon, the combination of a member threaded to the top of the spindle, said member having a substantially hemispherical cavity formed therein at the top thereof, the bottom of said cavity communicating with the thread passage of the spindle, a freely movable ball reposing in said cavity and acting on said yarn or thread to tension the same, the diameter of said cavity being substantially greater than that of said ball so that said ball has freedom of motion in said cavity and rolls over said thread passage, a housing encircling the top portion of said member for preventing the removal of said ball from said housing, said ball being of a size substantially smaller than said cavity to permit movement of said ball from a position over said thread passage to one side thereof suflicient to permit passage of a yarn threading tool through said thread passage, said housing having a circular aperture of slightly lesser diameter than said ball, said aperture being positioned well over the top of said ball so that said yarn or thread tends to engulf said ball as it sweeps around said ball, said housing being disposed at such distance from said ball as to permit free movement of said ball in said cavity and either clockwise or counterclockwise rotational approach through an arc of 360 of said yarn or thread to said cavity and said ball but to prevent the ejection of said ball therefrom, the top of said housing being tapered to form a frusto conical surface, the top edgeof said surface forming the lip of said circular aperture, the thread or yarn drawn up from said spindle into said circular aperture engaging said lip, said frusto conical surface being shaped so as not to be engaged by the thread or yarn so asnot to produce drag thereon.

2. In a double twist spindle of the type wherein yarn or thread supplied from a package carried by said spindle is drawn over-end therefrom, approaches a thread passage extending down through the spindle from the top thereof, passes downwardly through said thread passage, emerges from a port in a rotor at the bottom and passes up and around outside the spindle in the form of a balloon, the combination of a substantially cylindrical member threaded to the top of the spindle, the top edge of said member being beveled to produce a frusto conically shaped surface, said member having a substantially hemispherical cavity formed in the top surface thereof, said cavity extending substantially to the top edge of said frusto conically shaped surface to form a lip therewith, the bottom of said cavity having a thread passage communicating with the thread passage of the spindle, a ball reposing in said cavity, the radius of said ball being substantially smaller than the radius of said cavity so that the spindle may be employed with yarn or thread of different denier, the shape of said cavity being such that said ball rolls over the thread passage thereof and acts on the yarn or thread to tension the same, a housing encircling the top portion of said member, said housing having a circular aperture at the top thereof of slightly less diameter than the diameter of said ball, the top of said housing being tapered downwardly away from said aperture to form a frusto sonically shaped surface overlying and extending above the first-mentioned frusto conically shaped surface to arch over said ball and prevent said ball from riding on said lip, said housing being disposed at such distance from said ball as to permit free movement of said ball in said cavity and either clockwise or counter-clockwise rotational approach through an arc of 350 of said yarn or thread to said cavity and said ball but to prevent ejection of said ball therefrom.

3. In a double twist spindle of the type wherein yarn or thread supplied from a package carried by said spindle is drawn over-end therefrom, approaches a thread passage extending down through the spindle from the top thereof, passes downwardly through said thread passage, emerges from a port in a rotor at the bottom and passes up and around outside the spindle in the form of a balloon, the combination of a member threaded to the top of the spindle, said member having a substantially hemispherical cavity formed therein, the bottom of said cavity communicating with the thread passage of the spindle, a freely movable ball reposing in said cavity and acting on admin-1 said yarn or thread to tension-the same, the radius of said cavity being substantially greater than that of said ball so'that the spindle may be employed with yarn or thread of different denier, confining structure for substantially confining said ball in said cavity and for preventing the removal of said ball therefrom, said ball being adapted to move in said cavity from a position over said thread passage to one side thereof sufiicient to permit passage of a yarn threading tool through said thread passage, said confining structure having a circular aperture of slightly lesser diameter than said ball and being disposed at such distance from said ball as to permit free movement of said ball in said cavity and either clockwise or counter-clockwise rotational approach through an arc of 360 of said yarn or thread to said cavity and said ball but to prevent the egI ection of said ball ther from.

4. In a double twist spindle of the type wherein yarn orthread supplied from a package carried by said pindle is drawn over-end therefrom, approaches a thread passage extending down through the spindle from the top thereof, passes downwardly through said thread passage, emerges from a port in a rotor at the bottom and passes up and around outside the spindle in the form of a balloon, the combination of a member threaded to the top of the spindle, said member having a substantially hemispherical cavity formed therein, the bottom of said cavity communicating with the thread passage of the spindle, a freely movable ball reposing in said cavity and acting on said yarn or thread to tension the same, the

radius of said cavity being substantially greater than that of said ball so that the spindle may be '8 employed-withyarn or thread of different denier, confining structure for substantially confining said ball'in said cavity and for preventing the removal of said ball therefrom, said ball being 5 adapted to move in said cavity from a position over said thread passage to one side thereof suflicient to permit passage of a yarn threading tool through said thread passage, said confining structure having a circular aperture of slightly less 10 diameter than said. ball, said aperture being positioned well over the top of said ball so that said yarn-or thread tends to engulf said ball as it sweeps around said ball, said confining structure being disposed at such distance from said ball as to permit free movement of said ball in said cavity and either clockwise or counter-clockwise rotational approach through an arc of 369 of said yarn or thread to said cavity and said ball but to prevent'the ejection of said ball therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

